Zazen is not step-by-step meditation. Rather it is simply the easy and pleasant practice of a Buddha, the realization of the Buddha's Wisdom.

Suffering is not the end of the story; it is the middle of the story.

Right View is not just a matter of intellectual understanding but of seeing things as they really are.

Meditation is the ultimate mobile device; you can use it anywhere, anytime, unobtrusively.

The true understanding is that the practice itself is enlightenment.

The deepest happiness comes from having an enduring sense of purpose, one that gives our lives meaning beyond the endless pursuit of pleasure and success.

The mind is like a room with many windows. Open them all and let the fresh air in.

Just as a snake sheds its skin, we must shed our past over and over again.

Be a lamp unto yourself. Work out your liberation with diligence.

Liberation is found in the practice, not in the theory.

Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.

Concentration and insight are like two wings of a bird: both are necessary for the flight to liberation.

The supreme path is not to fabricate anything. The supreme meditation is not to be distracted.

True happiness is not about getting rid of all our problems, but about changing our relationship to them.

Without darkness, there is no light. Without the path, there is no arrival.

Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.

Wherever you are, you are one with the clouds and one with the sun and the stars you see. You are one with everything. That is more true than I can say, and more true than you can hear.

The best way to control people is to encourage them to be mischievous. Then they will be in control in a wider sense.

Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.

Mindfulness isn't difficult, we just need to remember to do it.

The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.

Where is the place that your original face has not yet emerged?

World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.

Worry pretends to be necessary but serves no useful purpose.

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.

The role of Zen is neither to stand above life nor to run away from it, but to face it with a spirit of determination.

Loving-kindness is not something we need to manufacture. It's a natural expression of our awakened nature.

The practice of meditation requires both energy and patience, both effort and relaxation.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to bring everything onto the path. Every experience becomes an opportunity for awakening.

Nothing can harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts.

Compassion is not mere sentiment but a powerful force that can transform both ourselves and others.

We can learn the art of fierce compassion - redefining strength, deconstructing isolation and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-vs.-them thinking.

When dharma fills your body and mind, you realize that something is missing.